June 21 (ST) The Health Ministry has decided to revise the list of schools found to be harbouring mosquito breeding sites before it is released to the media in a name-and-shame initiative. Authorities said that the initial list was based on inspections of schools carried out during the dengue control week (May 19 to 24), but since some time had lapsed since then, they would carry out inspections till the end of June before they more..

June 21 (FT) A host of media organisations have urged Prez Anura Kumara Disanayake to strengthen the Right to Information (RTI) Commission. They have sent an urgent letter to the President, calling for immediate action to address critical issues impacting on the institutional integrity of the RTI Commission. The organisations are SL Press Institute, its Constituents Newspaper Society of SL, Editors’ Guild of SL, Free Media Movement, SL Working Journalists Association, and more..

June 21 (DN) Wesley College’s Adeetha Siriwardana produced a sensational performance by breaking two new meet records on the fourth day of the 50th MILO All Island Schools Age Group Aquatic Championship, organized by the SL Schools Aquatic Sports Association (SLSASA) at the Sugathadasa Complex in Colombo yesterday. The 17-year-old Siriwardana stole the spotlight in the Boys U-18 events, first smashing the 800m Freestyle record with a superb timing of 9m 5s. more..

June 21 (FT) Prime Group, SL’s leading real estate conglomerate, has entered into a landmark MoU with the Federation of SL Local Govt Authorities (FSLGA) recently to launch a comprehensive capacity-building initiative for local govt officers across the island. It aims to empower and build capacity among Local Govt officials by providing training and knowledge-sharing programs, strengthening service delivery, transparency, and innovation in local authorities, carried out more..

June 21 (CI) If you watched Sri Lanka play Tests in Galle through the 2010s, you can probably close your eyes and still see him. Rangana Herath, waddling to the the crease pre-ball, Rangana Herath pivoting in his follow-through post-ball, Rangana Herath settling into one of his gentle celebrations post post-ball, the ball itself having taken sharp turn and collected an outside edge, or skimmed straight and clattered into stumps. more..

June 21 (Island) Vraie Cally Balthazaar is the newly elected Mayor of Colombo. On June 16, almost a fortnight after MC elections were held, she was voted in by secret ballot as Mayor, winning 61 votes against the main opposition candidate Riza Zarook from the coalition of a mixed bag of Parties, who got 54 votes. Cass would add to the epithet mixed – unholy and most unlikely of parties including the SJB, UNP and even the SLPP, banding themselves together to defeat the NPP. more..

June 21 (DM) How the NPP which had failed to secure absolute power in the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) at the May 6 local govt elections finally captured power of the council last Monday is still a secret. It seems to be known only to a few NPP members of the council and 13 members from other parties and/or independent groups who supported them to achieve the feat. Others would not know who those 13 members are, sometimes to the rest of the current tenure of the CMC. more..

June 21 (Island) The Department of Motor Traffic (DMT) has taken about 44 vehicles including 15 SLTB and private buses off the road, following a random vehicle inspection on the Hatton-Kandy road on 19 June. About 115 vehicles underwent roadside checks, we are told. In other words, about 38% of vehicles inspected by the DMT randomly in one location in the central hills were found to be unroadworthy. This can be considered a microcosm of the overall situation in the country. more..

June 21 (FT) We were fab such a long time ago that most of us in this beautiful, Asian splendour, fertile and rich in diversity, emitting an overall colour of a deep green and glowing golden beaches, have long forgotten When We Was Fab. There was a time in the late 1960s when travel was easy and cheap, probably long and arduous. The fun I presume was so great that the length and the arduousness possibly never mattered. The Mainline from Colombo to Badulla rattled its way into the hills more..

June 21 (CT) In a historic council formation on 16 June, Vraie Cally Balthazaar of the NPP was elected as the new Mayor of the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC). This year’s LG Elections, often referred to as the little election (Punchi Chandaya), were exceptionally intense, with the Prez and key Opposition leaders actively involved in the campaigns. The CMC race stood out as particularly significant, viewed by NPP and more..

June 21 (CT) Iran–Israel aerial military confrontation is the latest and potentially the most dangerous act in the post-World War I mega-plot to redesign the Middle East to serve the imperial aspirations of Western powers. It was the American naval geographer Alfred Thayer Mahan who launched the phrase Middle East along with two other the Near East and Far East, and Zionism was planted in Palestine as the centrepiece of the choreographed reordering of that entire region after the fall of more..

June 21 (DM) Even though Sri Lanka has been acknowledged as a country with a satisfactory literacy rate, time has come to question whether the average Sri Lankan also falls into the categories of literate, educated and knowledgeable. Literate by definition is the ability to read and write. Educated by definition means having a good education while knowledgeable is defined as being well-informed and having an understanding about various topics. An average Sri Lankan could barely pass more..

June 21 (DM) Rasadurai Rasendram (64) from Intherapuram, Muhamalai, was displaced with his family of 9 on multiple occasions, once in 1996 and then again in 2000 as a result of the protracted civil war. Due to heavy contamination of the area with shrapnel, land mines and unexploded ordnances (UXOs), Rasendram and his family couldn’t return to their original homelands immediately after the war. But as a result of painstaking efforts by more..

June 21 (CT) On 23 June each year, the world pauses to mark UN Public Service Day, a moment to honour the value and virtue of public service, and to pay tribute to the countless individuals who work, often unseen, for the public good. The day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 2002, not merely to acknowledge the efforts of public servants, but also to encourage younger generations to consider careers in the public sector as noble and vital to national development. more..

June 21 (CT) The election of ruling JVP-NPP’s Vraie Cally Balthazaar of the NPP as the Mayor of the prestigious CMC is historic for more than one reason – or, at least, there are three reasons for justifying such a claim. First, this is only the third time that you have had a non-UNP Mayor in Colombo since the party’s formation in 1946. Once earlier, in 1954, Dr. N.M. Perera of the LSSP was elected Mayor, but of course, by the next year, the UNP got him voted out through a No-Confidence Motion. more..

June 20 (AD) DIG of Police for Traffic Control and Road Safety, Indika Hapugoda, has revealed that nearly 2,000 people have lost their lives in fatal road accidents during the first six months of 2025. From Jan 1 to June 15, 2025, a total of 1,133 fatal accidents were reported, resulting in the deaths of nearly 2,000 individuals. He described the situation as catastrophic and alarming. DIG emphasized that the primary causes of these accidents are unroadworthy vehicles and reckless driving. more..

June 20 (NF) In preparation for the annual Esala Perahera festival at the sacred Ruhunu Maha Kataragama Devalaya, the entrance to Kumana National Park will be opened today to accommodate pilgrims arriving on foot from the Northern and Eastern provinces. This centuries-old tradition, revered by Hindu devotees, involves a spiritual foot pilgrimage through Yala and Kumana National Parks to reach Kataragama. Over 30,000 pilgrims are expected to participate in this year’s journey. more..

June 20 (EN) Less than a handful of the nearly 20,000 Sri Lankans in Israel have requested to come back amidst its conflict with Iran, and arrangements are being made to bring them back after moving them to third countries through ground transport, Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath said. Sri Lanka was under a 30-year civil war until 2009. “They said they are following the security arrangements of the country,” Herath said. more..

June 20 (FT) SL Chief Justice Murdu Fernando last week underscored the urgent need to reform legal education to meet the evolving demands of a rapidly changing world. Addressing the SL Law Faculty Alumni Association organised felicitation ceremony, she stressed the significance of legal education in moulding an inclusive and responsive society. Drawing parallels with global reforms in legal education, she emphasised that law must remain responsive to contemporary challenges more..

June 20 (NW) Central Bank has issued guidelines pertaining to overseas property investments, following an increase in advertisements promoting such ventures. CBSL said it has recently observed advertisements published in the print and social media that promote overseas investments in immovable properties (overseas property investments) among SL resident individuals. CBSL said that such advertisements also offer guidance on obtaining foreign financing for such more..

June 20 (AD) The latest episode of Guardians, the acclaimed wildlife docuseries spearheaded by Prince William and The Royal Foundation’s United for Wildlife programme, has been released — this time spotlighting the brave efforts of SL’s wildlife rangers in their fight to save the island’s endangered elephants. Launched in May, Guardians aims to reframe how the world sees rangers, championing the critical but more..

June 20 (NW) PM Harini Amarasuriya says the support of the Maha Sangha is essential to establish Pirivena education as a model for all. PM made these remarks while addressing the 2025 National Pirivena Day celebration held at Temple Trees yesterday, in conjunction with the commemoration of the birth anniversary of the late Most Venerable Welivita Pindapathika Asarana Sarana Saranankara Sangharaja Thero, who pioneered the revitalization of Pirivena education as a central more..

June 20 (AD) Deputy Minister Dr. Madhura Senevirathna, has confirmed that the Grade 5 Scholarship Examination will not be suspended immediately. Speaking in Parliament today, He stated that the govt has decided to conduct the scholarship examination for the year 2029 without any changes. He further noted that a committee will be appointed in 2028 to evaluate the future of the Grade 5 Scholarship Exam and determine whether it should continue beyond 2029. more..

June 20 (CT) NPP MP Nihal Galappaththi, accused a coalition of senior political figures—including former Presidents Mahinda Rajapaksa, Maithripala Sirisena, and Ranil Wickremesinghe, as well as former Ministers Basil Rajapaksa, P. Harrison, Wijith Wijithamuni de Soysa, Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena, and Lakshman Wasantha Perera—of orchestrating a massive financial scam involving USD 110 million in public funds. “None of them will be shown any mercy,” Galappaththi asserted. more..

June 20 (DM) The CID announced that it has received more than 30 complaints related to ragging incidents within the first six months of this year. The highest number of complaints, over 10, were reported from the Sabaragamuwa Uni. Additional complaints of new ragging incidents have also been received from the Eastern University and the Oluvil Uni. An investigating officer said that comprehensive investigations are currently underway regarding these cases and emphasised that more..

June 20 (AFP) Sri Lanka deported 85 Chinese nationals on Friday, months after they were detained on suspicion of carrying out cybercrimes against banks. The suspects were expelled for violating the terms of their tourist visas and fined around $250 each. "They were arrested by police in October over allegations that they were carrying out online scams targeting international banks," a senior immigration official who asked for anonymity more..

June 20 (AD) Nimal Karunathilaka, representing the NPP, has been elected as the Chairman of the Ukuwela PS in Rattota, Matale. Ukuwela PS comprises 16 opposition members and 11 members from the NPP. However, Karunathilaka secured 14 votes to win the chairmanship. Meera Saibu Mohamed Rafi, representing the United National Alliance, was elected as Vice Chairman with 12 votes. The election for the chairmanship of the Ukuwela PS was conducted amidst more..

June 20 (PMD) A group of students from Thambuttegama Central College, Anuradhapura, visited the Presidential Secretariat and President’s House this afternoon during their annual educational tour. The students had the opportunity to participate in the Vision programme, an initiative for schoolchildren jointly organised by the Presidential Secretariat, the Ministry of Education, and the Department of Communication of the Parliament of Sri Lanka. more..

June 20 (CI) After a day-long tug of war, where Sri Lanka and Bangladesh ran each other neck and neck, the first Test will go into day five in Galle no closer to knowing which of these sides has the edge necessary to convert a likely draw into an improbable win. At stumps, Bangladesh lead by 187 runs with seven wickets in hand, and Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mushfiqur Rahim - both first innings centurions - are at the crease. more..

June 20 (AD) NPP has established power in the Galle Municipal Council following the inaugural council meeting held today, under the patronage of the Commissioner of Local Government. A vote was conducted to decide whether the election of the Mayor of the Galle MC should proceed via secret ballot or open vote. 19 members voted in favor of a secret ballot, while 17 supported an open vote. The decision to proceed with a secret ballot led to a tense situation within the council. more..

June 20 (CT) US State Department has announced that all applicants for student and exchange visitor visas under the F, M, and J nonimmigrant categories must set their social media profiles to public as part of a more comprehensive vetting process. “Every visa adjudication is a national security decision,” State Department said, emphasising that a US visa is a privilege, not a right. The Department noted that it will use all available information —including online presence — to screen applicants more..